Process of clarifying liquids



Aug 1929. E. P. SHEERAN 1,723,212 A PROCESS OF CLARIFYING LIQUIDS Filed Nov. 30, 1925 1a UJEQIIIIIIIII gwuemtom Emmet P Sizeeran.

an new 3 correct for a uniform stream of blood entering the bowl under these varying conditions. The screw cannot be adjusted during the'operation'ofthe machine, butthe stream-flowing into the bouwl. canbevaried so that approximately the proper proportion of the whole will flow out of the lower opening.

The size'of the-entering stream might be regulated by the size'of nozzle" 7, or an ad j ustable valve might belocated in. that nozzle. When there is no valve in the nozzle, 1' prefer to regulate the stream by valve5, Screw- 9 is adjusted so that the heavy portion will not flow, out of the-lower opening at a faster rate than that at which fairly complete sep aration will take place-intthe bowl Then valve 5 is kept open as much asitcan be without forcing some of't'he heavyv portion out of' the upper opening and-discoloring.thestream flowing. from spout 1.5. In this way a fairly I. accurate separation may be'maintained, the

valve 5 being adjusted as different conditions of the bloodmay require- I 1 While the separation maybe made fairly complete in; the. above described manner, I have found it; impossible to'completely remove the serum from .theheavy. portion with-j out having traces ofthe heavy. portion remainin the'serum. Even when this residue of the heavy, portion is not noticeable at first,

7 it is visible afterthe serum has stood awhile.

. I In'order to remove this residue of the heavy portion, I .run the, apparently-clear serum from spout 15. through aisecondseparating device 16, similar to -thev device described above. The operation in the second separating machine is similar. to that in the first described apparatus, except that there is so little of the residuary heavy portion that it doesnot fill. the outer portion of the bowl until a considerable quantity of serum has passed through, and therefore clear serum passes out of both outlet, openings and both spouts 17 .and 18 deliver clear serum. There is so little of the residuary matterin the serum, after the first separation, that it would be practically lIDPQSSiblGdJO so Iadjust openings as to flow ofi two streams, one of the clear serum and theother of theresiduary, substance; but by cleaning the bowl between successive runs, the residuary portion ofthe heavy substance may be collected in theouter portion of the bowl, and so completely removed from the serum. I

As the serum; is onl a' part,of the blood which flows th'rought ie firstsparator and flows into the second separator, it remains longer in the secon'd' bowl'and the separation is more thorough even if'the speed of rotation is'less than that of the first machine; 'Also, the fact that therei s,always a considerable portion ofthe serum outside of that which is in the escaping layer'results in only-.th'e completely separated serum passing. off, whereas, in the first machine, any serum as far i 1 vi? out as as the layer which passes out of the lower opening would be likely to pass out of that opening, so there can be only a comparatively small amount of-J ser im, actually subjected to the separatingprocess-at any one time. These facts, added to the fact that the run is stopped before the heavy residue has filled the outer part ofthe bowl enough tb approach dangerously closeto the lower outlet, make possible the very complete removal of the heavy material without any considerable loss of serum. v

If it is not convenient to use two separating devices, the blood ma-yibe passed-througkthe first described machine in. the manner related; above, the machine may; be-cleaned to iremovethe heavy portion remaining-intherbowl and then the. serum. may; be 7 passed through 7 the same .machine again, the residuary heavy material collectingingthe ,outer. portion 19 0f; the bowl. and. clear, serum flowing from .bothspoutsll and 15 .during this second-passage The stream entering the bowl must be. small enough .tolallowthe liquid ample time t9 thorg hlyi p a 'vhi e n. her ltwm v the lower. opening must besmall enough to, allow;- the discharge of only, the heavy, portion.

h inlet mamb dii s eq fi ei met time to make the amount, pass ng-ieut of the lowerv outlet correspond,accurately w thplie percentage of the.heavyj portion a fairlyaccurateand complete separation may be accomplished, 1

In cream separation, thelowerioperiing small enough sothats'ome ofthe heavier p01;- tion-is forcedout-oflthe upperv opening with the butter .fat, the amount varying. as. the

cream is thicker or thinner. Noexact division,

is necessary between .butterlfatfand skim-milk, as some .of'the latteris always'pre'sentwiththe former in the cream; but'in' clarifyingblood, it is undesirable towasteserum by leaving it with the waste material, and it is undesirable to' force any ofthe heavy portion out. withthe lighter portion.,It ;Will= be seen, therefore, thata much more exact division is desired in blood clarification :than cream separation, and this exact divisienis accomplished bytlie proper relation'of the'entering stream to stream discharged by the lower, outlet.

The proper adjustmentof; the lower outlet opening and the inceming. stream enablesla' fairly aceurateseparation; but for complete separation, it ,is;des'irableto1so adjustthe d vices that a slight, amount of the'heavy portion is discharged w'vith the light'portion', and then to run the light portion through a's econd bowLin the outer part of which this small residiie'of the remain. e I a While described in connection with the clarification ofblood, it will be apparent that heavy, portion will collect and my pro'cessis applicable in other cases where the accurate separation of liquids into heavy and light I portions is desired, and va ious changes may be made in the described process then flowing the serum through a rotating Within the term of the appended claim, which bowl and collecting and retaining said resi- 10 defines my invention. due in said bowl while discharging clarified What I claim is: serum therefrom.

5 The process of clarifying blood which con- In testimony whereof I have hereunto sists of separating serum from the heavy porsigned my name to this specification. tion of the blood with a slight residue of said heavy portion remaining in the serum and EMMET P. SHEERAN. 

